Daniel Kulai... soccer family (brother George)... he was 11 years old when his father Alexander was killed in a coal mine cave in... he married his first wife Lila Anderson on 13 February 1934 (she passed away on 3 October 1937 after a brief illness)... he married his wife Margaret (Peggy) Tams on 13 July 1940... he was 72 years old when he passed away in Vancouver, BC on 22 August 1980... worked for the Vancouver Fire Department...

after an injury, he switched from forward to goalkeeper... actually became a referee during his playing career (while still a goalkeeper in the Pacific Coast League, he got his first assignment in Vancouver’s Wednesday league); he retired from his playing career in 1943 after suffering a knee injury... attended Canada Soccer’s 1978 FIFA/Coca-Cola World Football Development Seminar in Victoria, BC (referees)...

posthumously honoured by the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame as a referee (he was was shortlisted as an alternate builder in the inaugural year of 2000 and later honoured in 2004)...

wrote Jeff Cross in 1960, “it takes honest, integrity and considerable skill at doing many things at once to produce a good soccer referee (and that is the reason) Dan Kulai is one of the best, probably THE best in Canada”... also wrote Jeff Cross in 1960, Kulai “has more comprehensive knowledge of the game than anyone else in these parts”... wrote Jeff Cross in 1960, “in soccer the referee is judge, jury, timekeeper and everything else rolled into one. His word must be law and with Dan Kulai that’s the way it is. Temper-mental players find their tantrums short lived, crafty veterans find their sly tricks exposed by a shrill whistle, and over ambitious fans who seek personal combat are sent scurrying back to where they belong”... wrote Tele-Sport in November 1967, “there was never any doubt that, in his day, he was the best soccer referee in Canada, probably in North America”...

For Sport

served on the FIFA List of Referees and Assistant Referees for 12 years (1956 to 1967)... over the course of his career as a Referee and Assistant Referee, he was appointed to matches in leagues including the Pacific Coast League (1941-42 to 1966-67) and United Soccer Association (1967)... was appointed as a Referee to Canada Soccer’s Championship matches as well as exhibition matches featuring touring European clubs to Canada...

was appointed as Assistant Referee for Canada Soccer’s Championship Final in Vancouver on 20 and 22 September 1947 (Challenge Trophy winners Vancouver St. Andrews FC won the best-of-three series after two matches)... was appointed as Referee for Canada Soccer’s 1950 Championship Final in Vancouver on 14 August 1950 (Challenge Trophy winners Vancouver City FC won the best-of-three series after two matches)... was appointed as Referee for Canada Soccer’s 1960 Championship Final in Vancouver on 22 October 1960 (Challenge Trophy Carling Cup winners Westminster Royals FC won 5:1 over Golden Mile SC Toronto)... was appointed as Referee for Canada Soccer’s 1964 Championship Final in Vancouver on 19 September 1964 (Challenge Trophy winners Vancouver Columbus FC won 4:0 over Sudbury Italia FC)... was appointed as Referee for Canada Soccer’s first National Youth Final in Vancouver on 29 October 1966...

was appointed as a Referee for FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in 1960, including a USA v Mexico match (qualification for Chile 1962)... was appointed as an Assistant Referee for the Pan American Games Winnipeg 1967 football final (Mexico won 4:1 a.e.t. over Bermuda on 3 August)...

served as the Pacific Coast League’s Referee in Chief (starting November 1968)... served as a committee member for the Tournament of Soccer Champions sponsored by The Vancouver Sun... served as a referee assessor in the North American Soccer League...